


Hero

by Jevil_Joss



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Lovers To Enemies, M/M, RWBY Uncommon Ships, v7 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:02:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22562938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jevil_Joss/pseuds/Jevil_Joss
Summary: Regardless of how either of them used to feel, both of them know how this battle was going to turn out.(Set during V7 E10. Please no spoilers for E11, I haven't watched that one yet)
Relationships: James Ironwood/Arthur Watts
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10
Collections: Uncommon RWBY Ships





	Hero

Both of them knew that one or the other was going to die. 

James knew this. He didn't particularly want to kill Arthur. Yet Arthur had come. Arthur had come to sabotage the Amity Arena, for Salem. So he had to kill Arthur. 

And Arthur himself didn't particularly want to kill James. They'd been friends once--quite a bit more than friends, actually. They'd been very close--too close. 

"Neither of us is going to back down," James said slowly. It wasn't quite a question, nor was it a statement. 

Arthur considered the remark. Pointing the Relic he held right at James, he replied, "Neither of us _can_ back down. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't turn on Salem now."

"And I'd rather shoot myself than join with Salem," James said. 

They stared down at each other. Then, unable to help himself, James laughed. Arthur paused, then found himself laughing as well. 

"How did it come to this?" James asked, still laughing. 

Arthur shrugged. "Most couples end up dating, you know."

"We've just been trying to kill each other for years and years," James laughed, wiping tears from his eyes. 

"It's not funny; why are we laughing?" Arthur asked. 

Their was a long silence. "Cuz we're both sad," James answered. "And I think we both needed that."

Arthur cocked the gun, making it click. 

"The Summer Relic?" James guessed. He'd never seen it--it made sense that Salem had managed to grab it. James seemed to remember Ozpin describing the Summer Maiden's situation as, "Complicated". 

"Perceptive as always," Arthur noted. 

"It has the same coloring and styling as the other two Relics I've seen," James replied with a shrug. "It made sense."

So Arthur was aiming for the kill. He wasn't going to pull a single punch. So neither could James. The fate of Atlas, Mantle, and the world of Remnant hung in the balance. If he lost, Arthur would destroy Amity Arena and with it, all hope of stopping Salem, whether she was immortal or not. 

_It kind of makes me wish...I'd brought more men._

But right now, this was personal. He took out his empty ammo cartridge, reloading, then pointed the gun up at Arthur. 

"Goodbye, old friend," both of them whispered. 

**Author's Note:**

> I do feel like this one is a more uncommon pairing, and I thought it would be fun to write about the emotions going into this fight. Again, I haven't actually seen their fight scene, though I do find it really cool that Caleb Hyles actually sings one of the songs. Apparently, he sang a cover of one of the songs with Casey Lee Williams, and part of me wonders if that's even a cover at this point.   
> Also, Watts pulled out what looks like a gun Relic and it looks terrifying. Looking forward to E11!  
> If you have a RWBY Uncommon Ship you'd like to see me write, feel free to leave a comment. I appreciate requests and feedback!


End file.
